Films — by Collection

Staff Picks: Zoe Pattinson Fan

One does not simply choose a set number of films to represent themselves publicly. You think you know yourself, and then you see the line-up for the film festival this year and you really begin to re-evaluate your life. Look, it was no easy job but I’ve picked a few that might tickle your fancy, and who knows, you may even learn something about me in the process. This selection serves up what I think best describes the somewhat mysterious qualities to my personality, including but not limited to; the trying-my-hardest-to-be-Green side with Woman at War, prolific girl power with Skate Kitchen, the I-think-about-time-travel-more-than-I’d-like-to-admit of Mirai, a friendly reminder that jigsaws are cool with Puzzle, the just-let-me-cry-at-how-beautiful-this-film-looks of The Wild Pear Tree and the remainder mostly made up of the combined loves of my life in Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Hawke, Evan Peters, Rachel McAdams and Joaquin Phoenix. And on that note I think I’ll leave you, hoping you’ve learned something about me and gained something you might thank me for later.

The Wild Pear Tree

Ahlat agaci

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Turkish master Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest follows a would-be writer’s reluctant return to his small-town fold, spinning an extensive series of encounters into a typically rich, wry, melancholic mood-piece.

Woman at War

Kona fer í stríð

Benedikt Erlingsson

Iceland’s Benedikt Erlingsson (Of Horses and Men) winningly mixes absurdist comedy and tense thriller, with Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir as a fearless eco-warrior, juggling environmental action and foster motherhood.

Burning

Beoning

Lee Chang-dong

A love triangle and mystery based on a Murakami Haruki short story, Korean great Lee Chang-dong’s (Secret Sunshine,  Poetry) latest was the best-reviewed film at Cannes, an unforgettable now-or-never must-see on the giant Civic screen.

Shoplifters

Manbiki kazoku

Kore-eda Hirokazu

This year’s surprise Cannes Palme d’Or winner is one of Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s finest films, about a loving, unconventional family making ends meet on the margins of Tokyo.

First Reformed

Paul Schrader

A country priest (Ethan Hawke) questions his faith after an unnerving encounter with a radical environmentalist in this searing thriller from the writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.

Puzzle

Marc Turtletaub

When Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) receives a jigsaw for her birthday, it opens a surprising new avenue in her life and leads her to meet Robert (Irrfan Khan), an avid competitive puzzler who triggers a reassessment of her situation.

American Animals

Bart Layton

Rising stars Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Evan Peters (American Horror Story) lead this enthralling true-crime thriller that is as thematically probing as it is straight-up propulsive.

Wildlife

Paul Dano

In Paul Dano’s ace directing debut, Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal capture the cracks that occur in a marriage when a young wife kicks against the constraints of 1950s domesticity.

Skate Kitchen

Crystal Moselle

The Wolfpack director Crystal Moselle returns with a free wheeling, often funny fiction debut about young female skateboarders in New York City, featuring real-life crew Skate Kitchen.

Mirai

Mirai no Mirai

Hosoda Mamoru

Direct from Cannes, this charming For All Ages anime from Hosoda Mamoru (Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast) takes a richly imaginative toddler-eye view of a new arrival in the family.